Welcome to our Retreat & Meditation course schedule

Calm Abiding Practice Days with Corey Jackson

An unruly mind is not only the cause of our own difficulties and suffering but also an obstacle to developing kindness and compassion for others. Unwanted distractions undermine our attempts to develop the wisdom and compassion necessary to achieve our potential and benefit those around us. Shamatha practice pacifies those distractions leaving the mind calm, clear and flexible.

Calm Abiding is the ideal practice for a busy life creating a strong and stable base of calm and relaxation we can return to whenever we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. When we are feeling stronger it gives us the undistracted focus to be of greater benefit to ourselves and others.

Corey Jackson will support your developing practice gently leading you through a range of meditations and explaining how these support the Buddhist path. Please wear loose comfortable clothing for sitting and a yoga mat if you would like to meditate in a laying down position.

Saturday 1st December 9:00am – 3:00pm, held in the Gompa at Chenrezig Institute.Facility fee $25

10% discount for members and concession card holders. Accommodation and meals available separately.

Corey Jackson trained in India as a meditation teacher and translator of Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy. He has a degree in Psychology and Sanskrit and a unique passion for combining the best of ancient wisdom and modern research. He was certified by B. Alan Wallace and Eve Ekman as a Cultivating Emotional Balance trainer in 2011.

Release and Renew: Vajrasattva Retreat 2018 with Ven Chokyi

Complete your year with the powerful act of releasing all that has gone before and start the New Year with a renewed sense of calm, feeling inspired and motivated. In Buddhist purification, we can let go of the past with mindfulness and perception, and open up to the brightness and potential of the present moment. In this state of openness, we resolve to make beneficial changes in our lives which help increase our emotional and mental wellbeing.

Our week-long Purification retreat has been described as life-changing by previous participants. With time for deep reflection in beautiful surroundings, we begin to see how our thoughts, speech and actions have influenced the course of the year; we start to notice how our relationships have been impacted by our own responses to life.

Through the gentle but powerful and stabilising practices of meditation, Buddhist mantra recitation and visualisation we are encouraged to loosen our hold on the past, release our anxieties and regrets, and let go of our pain and heartache. Through the beautiful and profound act of purification, we refresh ourselves with strong, positive mental habits, replacing negativities and worries with potent, aspirational resolutions for the future. This transformative process clears the way for us to fully embrace a more relaxed, peaceful, and happy approach to life.

Come along and join us for this period of surrender, quiet reflection and positive transformation in the peaceful setting of Chenrezig Institute. You will enjoy the tranquil ebb and flow of a traditional Buddhist retreat and be supported in your journey with like-minded people. The retreat ends with a beautiful symbolic light offering ceremony, a sublime memory to carry forward into the New Year. This retreat is suitable for beginners or experienced practitioners alike, but a basic understanding of karma will greatly benefit your time here. All welcome!

Our annual lam-rim retreat has been running at Chenrezig Institute since 1974 and benefited many thousands of people looking to understand and integrate the teachings of the Buddha into their everyday life.

Our Path to Peace retreat is an amazing opportunity to gain a complete overview of the Buddhist path and fully immerse yourself in practice. Our resident Tibetan Teacher Geshe Tsultrim will take you step-by-step through Buddhist principles and psychology; you will investigate ways of subduing the mind and explore methods of cultivating wisdom and compassion, the two goals of the path to enlightenment. This fascinating retreat encompasses guided meditation, discussion groups, and explanations of the Buddhist world-view and psychology.

This year’s course will combine teachings from Lama Tsongkhapa’s famous prayer ‘The Foundation of All Good Qualities’ with a strong emphasis on meditative practices to increase our ability to be of benefit to others. We will dedicate time to the uplifting practices of the Four Immeasurables (Equanimity, Loving Kindness, Compassion, and Joy) and Tong Len (Giving and Receiving meditation). There will be a strong practice orientation with daily prayers and pujas.

You will be able to experience daily life in our thriving Buddhist community and discover the relevance and freshness of traditional Buddhist teachings to your own life. The lam-rim has been greatly appreciated by many thousands of people as an excellent means for clarifying their direction in life, no matter their religion or philosophy.

There will be a Refuge ceremony at the conclusion of this retreat for students wanting to take the formal step of becoming a Buddhist.

Accommodation and meal packages are available separately for purchase. When you hit the book now button you’ll be able to see all the available accommodation options.

All-Inclusive Package Prices

Dormitory Accommodation + All Meals+Course =$908.90*

Lotus House Twin+All Meals+Course= $1049.30*

Sangha House Twin+All Meals+Course= $1157.30*

Lotus House Single+All Meals+Course=$1178.90*

Retreat Hut with shared bathroom+All Meals+Course=$1373.30*

*These prices include a 10% discount on meals and accommodation for students booking the entire retreat.

Geshe Phuntsok Tsultrim was born in Tibet in 1969. At the age of 14 he became a monk at Sera Je Monastery in India, where he was awarded his Geshe degree (the equivalent of a doctorate in Buddhist studies) in 2005. He then spent a further two years studying tantra at Gyume Tantric Monastery. Geshe Tsultrim is immensely popular for the warm and approachable way in which he presents the Dharma.

Having met the Dharma in 1990, Venerable Chokyi ordained in 2006. She is a resident teacher at Chenrezig Institute where she has been leading meditation and retreats for many years.

Creating Compassion Series

Compassion is a cornerstone of Buddhist practice – simple to understand but not always easy to put into practice.

This series explores how we can create a compassionate response to the challenges life throws at us. Through gentle discussion and guided meditation, this series invites students to reflect on their own process of creating compassion in the world.

If you want to experience more compassion this course is for you! Suitable for everyone, this course is an excellent place to start and develop a practice of compassion supported by both mediation and action.

Keiron Pratt has grown up within the community of Chenrezig Institute. He has studied, offered service and completed group and solitary retreats at FPMT centres around the world. Through his experience as a meditation leader in Tushita Meditation Center, India and Kopan Monastery, Nepal, Keiron has introduced hundreds of students to the Buddhist teachings on compassion.

Courses are held monthly on Sundays between 1:45pm and 3:30pm

January Creating CompassionSunday 20th January 1.45pm to 3.30pm,held in the Gompa at Chenrezig Institute.Facility fee $20

Make a Day of ItOur Buddhist Beliefs and Creating Compassion series make a great day out for those wanting to start exploring Buddhism and Mediation. Book in for lunch and enjoy a whole day of learning new things and meeting new people for just $52.50

Realising the Nature of the Mind: Mahamudra Retreat with Glen Svensson

In the words of Panchen Losang Chogyi Gyeltsen:

May all migrators quickly gain victory over the two obscurations by means of this path,

as there is no other second gateway to the state of peace.

During this long weekend retreat we will be investigating the Gelug tradition of mahamudra using the Panchen Lama’s text A Root Text for the Precious Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra.

The main practices covered will be how to develop single-pointed concentration through focussing on the mind (shamatha) and how to gain insight into the ultimate nature of the mind (vipashyana). This retreat will also highlight the preliminary practices which act as a foundation for mahamudra practice along with a brief discussion of the tantra or vajrayana level of practice.

This retreat is suitable for both beginners and those already established in the practice.

Friday 25th January 7.00pm – Monday 28th January 4.00pm, held in the Gompa at Chenrezig InstituteFacility fee $150

Accommodation and meals available separately for purchase.

Originally from Australia, Glen has been a student and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism since 1995 and graduated from the seven-year Masters Program in Advanced Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra at the Lama Tsong Khapa Institute Pomaia, Italy) in 2004. Since 2005 he has taught and led meditation retreats in India, Europe, North America and Australia with a teaching style emphasizing clarity and stressing the integration of philosophical view, meditation and daily life conduct.

Guided Meditation in the Gompa

Every week we have guided meditations on Fridays from 1.15 pm to 1.45 pm, held in the Gompa at Chenrezig Institute. They are led by Sangha members and are suitable for everyone.

Meditation in the Community

A great way to establish a time each week to spend on your own inner development and to draw on the support of others in your daily practice. Please see our Outreach page for details.

FPMT

Chenrezig Institute is affiliated with the FPMT. The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition is a worldwide organisation of over 150 centres founded by Lama Yeshe & Lama Zopa Rinpoche

FUNDING

Chenrezig Institute is fully audited, not-for-profit and mainly run by volunteers. We rely enitrely on the support of members, friends, benefactors and bequests. Facility fees and donations are needed to keep the centre running.